KOSPI vaults past 7,000 as foreigners chase chips SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Seoul's KOSPI retested 7,000 mark at Thursday's open on as foreign investors kept up buying position for the second session, mostly pivoted toward semiconductor and chip-component names. The index rose 3.4 percent 7,031.09, with foreigners the lone net buyers as individuals and institutions sold into the advance. Foreigners bought a net 680.5 billion won of shares in early trade, against individual selling of 640 billion won as retailers took the July 23, 2026

Naver exports smart-building tech to Tokyo tower in first commercial deal SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Team Naver, the consortium of Naver affiliates including Naver itself and Naver Cloud, announced it has deployed the smart-building technology behind its "1784" headquarters at a major Tokyo commercial complex. Working with NTT East and Mitsui Fudosan, the company revealed Thursday that it has fitted Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, a mixed-use office and retail tower in central Tokyo, with the autonomous robots, cloud-based control systems and digital-twin infr July 23, 2026

Seoul, Washington, Tokyo tighten diplomatic tempo SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan met Wednesday for the second time in just over two weeks, a pace the three governments framed as the point itself, a show of alignment staged in front of Southeast Asia's assembled diplomats in Manila. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun sat down with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on the margins of the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings, July 23, 2026

GM Korea reaches tentative wage deal with labor union SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - GM Korea has reached a tentative wage deal with its labor union after weeks of negotiations, the automaker said on Thursday. The tentative deal includes a 92,000 South Korean won (about US$60) increase in monthly base pay and a total of 15 million won in lump-sum payments including bonuses and performance-based incentives. The deal reportedly also includes plans to assign new vehicle models to its plants in South Korea by the third quarter of next year. G July 23, 2026

Seoul pitches AI partnership to ASEAN SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea placed artificial intelligence at the center of its offer to Southeast Asia on Wednesday, unveiling a new initiative to help the region build AI ecosystems, train researchers and spread the technology safely, drawing on what Seoul calls its full-stack capability spanning chips, models and services. The pitch came as Foreign Minister Cho Hyun co-chaired the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the Republic of Korea in Manila, the 29th session July 23, 2026

Seoul, Washington 'inching closer to 1st investment project' under bilateral trade deal SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. are discussing an energy-sector project that could become the first investment under their bilateral trade deal, with an announcement expected as early as late next month or in September. Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan made the remarks after arriving in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a four-day visit to discuss investment and trade issues with U.S. officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. "W July 23, 2026

Samsung Biologics posts 30% jump in second-quarter revenue SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Biologics reported a 30 percent rise in second-quarter revenue to 1.32 trillion won ($894 million), lifted by full utilization of its first four plants and a favorable won-dollar exchange rate, the South Korean contract drugmaker said. According to regulatory filings released Thursday, operating profit climbed 23 percent from a year earlier to 586.4 billion won. The robust growth came despite the company's first-ever full walkout, a five-day str July 23, 2026

Skies weep as Ethiopia's Kagnew Choir offered heavenly songs of remembrance SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) -The heavenly voices of Ethiopian children drifted across Gwanghwamun Square on Wednesday afternoon, transforming Seoul's Garden of Gratitude into a place of remembrance as the Kagnew Choir sang Korean folk songs in tribute to the veterans who fought in the Korean War 75 years ago. The cultural exchange performance, titled "The Courage of That Day, Today's Song," commemorated the 75th anniversary of Ethiopia's participation in the Korean July 22, 2026

Samsung's foldables share spotlight with AI eyewear at Galaxy Unpacked SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled three new foldable smartphones and detailed its first AI-powered smart glasses, expanding the Galaxy ecosystem as it seeks to make artificial intelligence a more proactive part of consumers’ daily lives. At its Galaxy Unpacked event in London, the South Korean technology giant introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8, marking the first time it has offered three distinct models in i July 22, 2026

New joint military academy campus could take decade to build, ministry says SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Building a new campus in Daejeon for South Korea’s planned joint military academy could take about 10 years, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday, raising the possibility that a temporary facility may be used before construction is completed. Kim Hong-chul, head of the ministry’s defense policy office, told reporters after a policy forum at the Korean Constitutional Association in Seoul that construction of the new campus would take &ldq July 22, 2026